Others in Congress Offer Advice to Super Committee

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is receiving an earful of advice as congressional committees and individual lawmakers offered a wide variety of recommendations, many of them at odds with each other.

Congressional committees were asked to submit their suggestions to the committee by last Friday although some recommendations are still coming in. While some committees offer constructive suggestions and made commitments to find savings, many committees unfortunately focused more on what to keep rather than what to cut.

In releasing proposals from ranking members of House committees, however, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi insisted that House Democrats wanted a deficit reduction plan that is “big, bold, and balanced.” She also urged the super committee to focus on job creation and “thoroughly consider” the President’s American Jobs Act although it had already been blocked by a Senate vote earlier in the week.

Some Republicans, meanwhile, reiterated their opposition to last year’s health care legislation, many regulations on business, and the idea of raising additional government revenue. Senate Finance Committee Republicans, for example, said they supported “fundamental tax reform” but said it should be revenue-neutral.

The super committee, composed of six Democrats and six Republicans, is tasked with making recommendations to Congress by late November to reduce projected deficits by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. The Concord Coalition has urged the committee to exceed that target, giving careful consideration to recommendations from the President’s fiscal commission and other bipartisan groups.